This invention relates to a preformed structural member and, in particular, to a structural member that is capable of being utilized in a variety of different ways to form sections typically used in the erection of buildings.
The most pertinent art known to applicant at the time of filing this application includes the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,241,281 1,997,876, 2,919,477, 3,312,032, 3,332,197, 3,381,438, 3,757,485, 3,952,461, 3,977,149.
As disclosed by Hinkle in U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,197 and by Vincens in U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,485, preformed, relatively lightweight, metal structures have been used for quite some time in the building industry to form a variety of building components such as studs, beams, flooring and the like. These preformed structural members are usually profiled so that they may be slid together with other building elements to provide a sub-assembly having sufficient strength to allow it to be temporarily erected. This characteristic which allows structural members to be interlocked or snapped together with other components is sometimes referred to as "assembly holding power".
As best evidenced by Vincens in the above noted patent, most structural members that are used in the art are specially formed to carry out a single task which dictates the form or shape that the member takes. Because of the special nature of each member, a relatively large number of complex component parts are required to erect any given structure. This presents many unwanted assembly problems and raises the overall cost of the structure. By the same token, large numbers of special tools, wrenches and the like, have heretofore been required in order to erect buildings utilizing these special profiled structural members and the subassemblies so formed were difficult to move and set in place. As a consequence, it was necessary to use heavy duty equipment and specially trained workers to erect the subassemblies.